David Lynch talks to Au Revoir Simone about the disturbing synth pop which
inspires.

Film-maker David Lynch has a consuming passion for music. Blue Velvet was conceived around the Bobby Vinton song of the same name and his work with composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer Julee Cruise, notably their Industrial Symphony No 1 and the soundtrack to television series Twin Peaks, achieved huge critical and commercial success.

Lynch’s latest musical project with Gnarls Barkley producer Dangermouse is forthcoming but he’s also been conducting a public love affair with New York synthesizer outfit Au Revoir Simone who he’s played live with and whose music was played at his recent wedding.

The trio of Heather D’Angelo, Erika Forster and Annie Hart have released their third album, Still Night, Still Light. Lynch agreed to be interviewed with them about their music.

How did Au Revoir Simone hook up with David Lynch?

Erika Forster: “We were invited to an event at Barnes & Noble book store in Union Square [New York]. We combined our music with David Lynch reading from his book on transcendental meditation and the creative process, Catching the Big Fish.”

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David Lynch: “Yes, I do, I’m drinking a cup of it right now.”

Heather D’Angelo: “We tested it. It’s gorgeous.”

DL: “I think it helped fuel their new album. I heard Au Revoir Simone years ago and their music really makes me dream. It opens up a world that wasn’t opened up before.”

EF: “We rewatched the entire Twin Peaks series on tour. It was really scary but since there are so many plot lines and unresolved endings, we’d spend hours debating what actually happened. It was really good at twisting our brains together.”

David, there are similarities between Au Revoir Simone and your work with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise.

DL: “That’s feasible, for sure, but the way Au Revoir Simone sing and use these synthesizers is really magical to me. Maybe they can tell how they started.”

HD: “Erika was in a band with Annie’s boyfriend, now husband, Doug. They had the idea of starting an all-girl keyboard group at Erika’s apartment after work. Erika told me about it and I thought it sounded like such a cool idea because we all had nostalgia for toy keyboards we played as little girls. We used to cover songs but it ended up being easier to write our own.”

Annie Hart: “We found this psychic connection. Sometimes we play a single song for six or eight hours and even now songs spontaneously appear out of the air when we’re playing.”

DL: “The first two albums are a tough act to follow so when I first heard the new album, it jarred me. On the second song, Shadows, they hit this minor key thing at the end that disturbed me but the more I listened, the more I started loving it.”

I heard that Au Revoir Simone played at your wedding.

DL: “The girls didn’t show up at my wedding but their music did. The Lucky One from the last album was in the ceremony then Moby DJ’d afterwards. I’m drawn to the melancholy in Au Revoir Simone’s songs but it’s a joyous melancholy. It’s about their dreams and loves but it’s bigger than a single person’s life. Tell Me on the new album is a really cosmic thing but my favourite is Trace a Line.”

AH: “I came up with the idea for that song but just this morning I was having so many doubts about it. I don’t face the audience when we play it and I can’t tell if people like it or not.”

DL: “You’re just self-conscious, Annie. You should just turn round and face the audience.”

HD: “Annie’s always unsure about her lyrics but they’ve become so meaningful for me.”

David, do Au Revoir Simone follow in the tradition of other bands you’ve liked?

DL: “Well, I like girl groups but Au Revoir Simone are unique. I like to watch them perform. They’re not good-looking girls but they’re OK [laughs mischievously]. The last time I saw them play was in France for [Lynch’s retrospective exhibition at] the Fondation Cartier. They were on the Eraserhead stage, a recreation of the film set: black velvet, a black-and-white chequered floor, columns, light-bulbs round the front.”

You all seem to believe in using your websites as a forum for art.

DL: “The internet is the future, as it is the present.”

HD: “We’ve started following you on Twitter, your Thought for the Day is so inspiring.”

DL: “I did a music video for Moby’s Shot In the Back of the Head, an instrumental he sent to see if I had any footage that would go with it. I did this strange thing in Flash. Moby’s a great guy – intellectually curious. And that’s one thing you’ve got to be in this life.”

Au Revoir Simone’s album 'Still Night, Still Light’, is out on Moshi Moshi